MPs question absence of 1D1F projects in Upper East

Some members of the Minority in Parliament are not enthused that none of the approved projects under the One District, One Factory initiative will be sited in the Upper East Region.

The Trades and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen, revealed in Parliament that 79 projects under the policy have been approved and are at various stages of implementation across the country.

Some 35 other projects are going through further credit appraisals by the Ministry’s technical team.

The Greater Accra Region Region has the highest number of approved projects with 22, 14 in the Eastern Region, 13 in Ashanti Region and another 13 in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The Volta Region, Western Region, and Upper West have one factory each, while the Nothern and Central Region has six and eight respectively.

But the MP for Bole Bamboi, Yusif Sulemana said it was unacceptable that the Upper East Region did not have a single project.

“We want to find out if Upper East region, they have done something wrong,” he remarked on the floor while asking if the government planned to intervene.

Mr. Kyerematen explained that the project was linked to the capacity of the private sector.

But he noted further that there was still room for the government to step in.

“The selection of projects is based on the expression of interest of business promoters and the private sector. But in cases where it is clear that no interest has been established in a particular district then government proposes to play an interventionist role.”

“Even in the unlikely event that no business promoter shows up to establish an interest in Upper East, the government will intervene directly,” the minister added.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry successfully screened three hundred and twenty-nine proposals for the construction of factories under the programme.